1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to orthopaedic implants and, more particularly, orthopaedic implants having data acquisition capabilities.
2. Related Art
The trauma fixation implants currently available on the market are passive devices because their primary function is to support the patient's weight with an appropriate amount of stability whilst the surrounding fractured bone heals. Current methods of assessing the healing process, e.g. radiography, patient testimonial, etc., do not provide physicians with sufficient information to adequately assess the progress of healing, particularly in the early stages of healing. X-ray images can only show callus geometry and cannot be used to assess the mechanical properties of the consolidating bone. Therefore, it is difficult to quantify the load sharing between implant and bone during fracture healing from standard radiographs, CT, or MRI scans. Unfortunately, there is no in vivo data available quantifying the skeletal loads encountered during fracture healing as well as during different patient and physiotherapy activities.
There remains a need in the art for a system and method of assessing the healing process. It would be of significant benefit if the system and/or method could quantify the load sharing between an implant and a bone during fracture healing. Furthermore, it would be of significant benefit if the system could provide in vivo data to quantify the skeletal loads encountered during fracture healing. A clinician could use the assessment information provided by the system to counsel the patient on life-style changes or to prescribe therapeutic treatments if available. Continuous and accurate information from the implant during rehabilitation would help to optimize postoperative protocols for proper fracture healing and implant protection and add significant value in trauma therapy and reconstructive orthopedics. Furthermore, improvements in security and geometry (and speed) of fracture healing leads to significant economic and social benefits. Therefore, an opportunity exists to augment the primary function of orthopedic trauma and reconstructive implants to enhance the information available to clinicians.